The Judith P. Hoyer Early Child Care and Family Education Centers or "Judy Center Early Learning Hubs" were created by the Maryland State Department of Education and serve children birth through Kindergarten and their families in an effort to increase the number of children  entering school ready to learn. Judy Centers promote school readiness through collaboration with community-based agencies, organizations and local businesses.  The goal of the Judy Center is to improve school readiness skills of children birth -five in the Princess Anne and Crisfield areas.

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• Children in the Princess Anne and Woodson catchment areas will benefit. Children birth through kindergarten will be provided fun and exciting learning opportunities in all of the domains of learning throughout the entire year. Children with disabilities or special needs will be provided with interventions that may ensure greater school success.

• Parents of young children in the Princess Anne and Crisfield community will benefit because there will be many opportunities to become more involved in their child's education, increase their parenting skills and their own educational level.  We will also provide many rich family-oriented activities.

• Somerset County Public Schools will benefit because children will enter school better prepared to learn.  Parents will become more involved and, through early intervention, developmental delays and speech issues will be remedied before children enter the primary grades.  This has social, as well as financial benefits for our school system.

• Our Community will benefit:  Community organizations serving children and families will coordinate efforts and assist each other, getting much more “bang for your buck”.  The Judy Center will help create a more successful workforce by aiding in adult education/ parent education/ nutrition and health initiatives etc.  The Judy Center funding will also help the community leverage additional funds for other projects.

• The state will benefit because more children will enter our public schools with the skills needed to succeed and they will continue to succeed throughout life. 

Visit the Somerset Early Learning Calendar for a full listing of events for children ages 0-5 and their families.

View the latest Judy Center news, here.

Click here to view the Spring 2023 issue of the Judy Center Magazine.

The Somerset Early Learning Advisory Council was established in 2013 as a result of a statewide initiative (Race to the Top) to create cohesive local level committees to focus on education for the birth-age five population. SELAC is made up of representatives of Head Start, Child Care, community outreach programs, and Somerset County Public Schools. The goal for the council is to ensure that all students enter kindergarten ready to learn. The council provides professional development, family and child care outreach, school readiness materials and was instrumental in the creation of the Somerset County Judy Center. Visit the SELAC website for more information and a local activity calendar.

Finding licensed child care can be a challenge for families. The Somerset County Judy Center can provide your family with a list of local child care providers or you may visit any of the sites below to find free assistance.

Lower Shore Child Care Resource Center
410-543-6650

LOCATE Child Care  
877-261-0060

MSDE - Finding Childcare

Maryland EXCELS

Click Here to see our Documents and Forms

More great websites and resources

• National Association for the Education of Young Children

• MD 211